Arsenal, aiming to win back-to-back Premier League titles, have two major goals this summer.
Indeed, after winning the title for the first time in 22 years, Mikel Arteta and his team are hoping to start a dynasty. They will need to make a big move in the transfer market to cement their dominance in the English game.
Fortunately for supporters, they seem ready to make that happen. One of the goals is to sign new forwards, led by Morgan Rogers. He also wants to participate. Good news all around.
Another objective is to sign a new midfielder to alleviate one of the areas of the pitch that was in quite a bind last season.
In that regard, multiple players are linked.
Arsenal could sign big-money midfielder this summer
The big news for Arsenal in recent days is that they want to sign Bruno Guimarães. He currently appears to be a strong target in midfield.
The Gunners have established contact with the player’s camp, but a £55m offer floated through an intermediary was rejected. As a result, the north Londoner now intends to start direct negotiations between the clubs.
The problem with this match is that New Axle doesn’t want to lose Guimarães and Sandro Tonali. The latter received offers from a number of players including Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
As a result, Andrea Berta and colleagues have to come up with a number of alternatives. One is Ayyoub Bouadi from Lille and the other is Alex Scott from Bournemouth.
It was revealed last week that Arsenal were keen to sign the player, but his situation with the Cherries is complicated. Bournemouth have no intention of selling him and are keen to tie the Guernsey-born midfielder to a new deal.
However, the Gunners are confident they will eventually be able to sign the player. The Daily Mail reports that other suitors, Arsenal and Manchester United, are growing optimistic about signing him.
However, it could take an £80m bid to convince manager Marco Rose’s side to sell. Of course, they are no longer managed by Andoni Iraola.
Why Alex Scott could be bad news for Arsenal’s Miles Lewis-Skelly
It would be an understatement to say that Miles Lewis-Skelly has had two very different seasons in senior football.
A year ago, the teenager was just making his breakthrough at Arsenal. Although he did not start the season as a regular, he certainly finished the season as a regular.
He dominated PSG and Real Madrid in the Champions League, scored a stunning goal on his England debut and had the Cohones imitate Erling Haaland’s celebration after scoring against Manchester City.
Lewis Skelly has no ego, but there is an arrogance and confidence in his game and mentality that has taken him to this level. He is one of the best young footballers in the world, but not all players get to the top the easy way.
In fact, had Martin Zvimendi remained in form, we might be discussing Hale Ender’s possible departure by now. After all, in the world of PSR, 19 years old is considered pure profit.
Lewis Skelly in 2025/26 | ||
|---|---|---|
competition | begins | play time |
premier league | 5/38 | 698 |
champions league | 8/15 | 700 |
EFL Cup | 3/6 | 270 |
FA Cup | 3/3 | 240 |
Sadly, he struggled for game time for most of the 2025/26 season, making just one league start between August and April, finishing the season by starting three of the final four domestic games and the Champions League final. However, it was in midfield, rather than left-back, that he earned his playing time.
That is why the arrival of Guimarães, and especially Scott, could be particularly damaging for him.
Just as Lewis-Skelly rebuilds Arteta’s trust, it seems possible that he could be bunted down the sideline and end up on the bench. In reality, Scott and Arsenal’s teenage sensation are not directly similar, but both will be competing for the same number eight position in the manager’s midfield.
Lewis-Skelly’s composure and ability to resist the press is simply amazing, and Scott has similar qualities. Similar to Matheus Fernandes and Elliott Anderson, he is a “pressing, progressive, ball-carrying midfielder who connects play and drives into the final third”, as podcaster and author Adam Joseph puts it.
The Cherries star, described by Iraola as “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League”, has only improved compared to the Arsenal teenager, playing more in the final third and scoring four goals last season. Lewis-Skelly has just one senior goal at club level. This may not be surprising considering the latter has played more of a defender role over the past two years.
However, if Arteta is looking for a player to take his midfield to the next level, particularly a left-sided eight, then Scott is the perfect choice, even if he is said to be a Tottenham supporter.
The Spaniard has proven to be ruthless against his team on many occasions. The departure of Emile Smith Rowe and Aaron Ramsdale, despite not having done much wrong, is proof of that. If a big-money midfielder arrives, Lewis-Skelly could be thrown into a similar pile of rubbish.
He looks a lot like Bruno Guimarães: Arsenal hold contract talks for £85m star
Arsenal could sign an £85m replacement for Bruno Guimarães this summer.
